China is in the midst of what some have dubbed an airpocalypse.
A new study led by an institute at the University of Washington on the leading causes of global death claims outdoor air pollution was the cause of 1.2 million untimely deaths in 2010 in China.
These deaths account for nearly 40 percent of the total, worldwide.
The study referred to "ambient particulate matter pollution" as the fourth-leading risk factor for Chinese deaths, trailing dietary issues, smoking and high blood pressure, all factors that are most likely intertwined.
Air pollution clocked in at seventh on the global list of factors, adding 3.2 million deaths to the list.
News reports claimed 74 cities give as much data as possible on smog levels 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter, which hit the body's tissue most detrimentally.
Researchers gave a presentation on the study at a form in Beijing on Sunday. Many of the authors of the piece, working in conjunction with UW, work for the United Nation's World Health Organization, along with several other universities.
Since the study went public, Chinese officials have been trying to temper its widespread popularity, particularly online. According to Yahoo news, in 2007, large portions of a study called, "Cost of Pollution in China" were removed, which causes issues for data collection.
"Calculations of premature deaths because of outdoor air pollution are politically threatening in the eyes of some Chinese officials," the New York Times reported.
The Natural Resources Defense Council said that, "faced with the current situation of severe air, water and soil pollution, we must make changes to pollution source information disclosure so that information is no longer patchy, out of date and difficult to obtain."
In recent years, pollution has become too much for residents. Many say the levels of smog render the area almost uninhabitable, and the release of this study leaves many hoping it will change, not only the manner in which bad air is dealt with, but also the discourse surrounding it.
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